Chapter 28 · That’s the lock?

She dropped the case on the console and snapped it open. Inside sat a nest of silver wires, glass needles, and a palm-sized memory chip sealed in black resin.

My stomach tightened.

"That’s the lock?" I asked.

"That’s the key to the lock. The lock itself is in him."

Kael moved between us.

Mira pulled a shock pistol from her belt and aimed it at his ribs. "Move, and I put you on the floor."

"You’ll overload the bond."

"I know."

"Then you know Sera will take the damage."

Mira’s finger rested on the trigger.

I looked at Kael. "Is she right?"

"About the damage? Yes."

"How bad?"

"Bad enough that you won’t be standing afterward."

"You keep forgetting I’ve survived worse than standing."

"I haven’t forgotten anything about you."

His voice dropped on the last word.

Mira glanced between us. "That was almost honest. I hate it."

The door buckled inward. A black-gloved hand punched through the gap, reaching for the inner latch.

Mira swore and fired.

The guard screamed. The hand vanished.

"Twenty seconds," she said. "Pick a side, Sera. Him or the truth."

Kael caught my wrist before I could answer. The bond flashed hot.